A week of quiet, beautiful walking through villages, meadows, woods, hills and valleys with the knowledge that a lovely room, welcoming hosts and fantastic food awaits.

Andy - May 2019

We've just returned from our holiday in Umbria and it was wonderful.

Beautiful trails and the instructions were excellent. We relied on them completely with very rare checking on the GPS. We found all the people we came into contact with incredibly friendly, although as we were so late in the season we didn't meet a single other walker on the trails.

Bertie Maxwell, London, UK - October 2018

We have had the good fortune to travel the world, first, second and third class, and cannot recall a better planned and more joyous trip than our walking trip with On Foot.

The food and accommodations were delightful, the walking/trail/countryside extraordinary and both the nightly hosts and the locals in the bars and restaurants so friendly and kind. Our deep-felt thanks to the staff of On Foot for a perfect trip and their wonderful attention to detail.

Jane and Eric Englund, Wisconsin, USA - September 2018

Very much enjoyed the whole trip and would recommend to anyone.

Loved in particular the second and last day of walking where we were out of tree cover and there were expansive views, small villages etc. We enjoyed stopping for lunches in trattorias. We had a marvellous time and wish we were still there!

Hermione Nevill, Istanbul - July 2017

I had such a wonderful time. Everything worked flawlessly, from the arrivals to the luggage transfers to the packed lunches.

All the hosts/drivers I interacted with were friendly and welcoming, the directions were clear, and the paths were easy to follow. I enjoyed this week far more than my following week in Rome - small towns are the best way to see a country, and the walking holiday was the most peaceful and rewarding part of the trip.

How much walking?

A remarkable extended walk down the spine of Italy from Spoleto, just south of Assisi, to the abbey of Farfa, at the southern tip of the Sabine Hills, designed for the experienced walker. It goes through the territory of the old Duchy of Spoleto, which was founded by the Lombards in the 6th century AD. Its destination, the abbey, was founded by Duke Faraold II of Spoleto in the 7th century. Much of the first few days uses the Via Francigena, so Saint Francis is never far away in the churches and shrines you pass.

From the medieval town of Spoleto, with its cathedral, fortress, ancient streets and sophisticated streetlife, your walk leads you (after a short lift at the start) over the hills to the pretty Val Nerina at Ferentillo; onward past vine-clad pastures to the lake at Piediluco, the last remnant of a stretch of water that once filled the whole of the Rieti Plain. Stay at hilltop Labro in one of two beautifully restored village houses, before crossing the Plain to the Sabine Hills at Greccio, where Saint Francis is believed to have invented the Christmas Nativity scene, and whose cell you can visit. Cross the hills, through Cottanello, then on to Casperia (staying in a palazzetto), to Mauro and Ornella’s “real” Agriturismo (have their wines, olive oil, goats cheese and prosciutto for supper) and finally a night in Mompeo, where our route advisor Stefano and his family will be ready to greet you. On your final morning you could walk to the Abbey of Farfa to complete your pilgrimage, if your itinerary allows. You can also add a night or two in Rome at our favourite B&B.

TRAVEL ADVICE: To find the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for UK citizens travelling to Italy, click here. Citizens of other nations will also find it useful, but should always check their appropriate local agency.

Route Highlights

Medieval Spoleto and the aqueduct

The lake of Piediluco and hilltop Labro

The fortified villages of Sabina

Wooded hills and high pastures

The palazzetta in Casperia

Montenero

A Roman villa and one of the oldest olive trees in central Italy!

This route features the following characteristics and interests: Pilgrimage, Villages and farms, Food, History

We Recommend

Extra nights in Spoleto (to have a good look at this lovely town), hilltop Labro (your host has many ideas for activities or you can just relax), Casperia (see below for cookery course), optional night in Misciani for a half day experience of goat's milk collection and cheese making, pasta making or foraging (enquire for prices), or to relax by Stefano and Elisabeth's pool in Mompeo, and nights in Rome.

Eating and Drinking

At La Torretta in Casperia, you can stay an extra day learning to prepare a traditional 4 course meal with an antipasto, a primo, secondo and contorno, and dolce! The primo is always pasta made from scratch (no machines) so slow pasta-making which is a lot of fun as well as a workout; with the fresh pasta you would then make stuffed ravioli, or fettucine or pasta alla chitarra, with a light fresh sauce. As members of the slow food movement they try to provide organic products with no food miles (or kilometres), which will therefore vary according to season; a light meat course will be served after the pasta with local veg, and usually daughter Jennifer’s award-winning tiramisù for dessert. They serve good quality wines from Lazio with the meal, always D.O.C. These cooking lessons are offered with a minimum of 4 (usually) participants, but you can normally join a group if necessary (supplement from €85 per person, including lesson, full 4 course dinner, wines and an after-dinner liqueur; courses subject to availability and participating numbers – minimum of 4).

At Misciani, you will eat truly from the fruits of the (local) earth – but you can also help to make them happen, with various farm-based activities available including milking the goats, cheese making, foraging, pasta making etc.. allow half a day (supplement).

At Mompeo, chef Elisabeth is a superb vegetarian cook, which gives the lie to the idea that such food can be dull or non-sustaining. With luck you will be able to sample Stefano’s olive oil, and you will certainly be able to buy preserves (having tasted them at breakfast).

GPX file available for handheld GPS or smartphone App for complete route.

Important note: Times given for each day are walking times for an “average” walker and exclude stops. “CUSs” stands for “Cumulative Uphill Stretches” and measures the aggregated ascents in each day, expressed in metres of climb. See “Walk Grading” for more information.

When to go?

The best months to walk: April, May, June, September, October

Other possible months: July, August

These tree-clad hills offer a certain amount of shade, except on the higher reaches, where exposure can be high. The elevation tempers the otherwise fierce heat of the summer too, so we can offer this unique route for most of the walking year.

Start Dates

Recommended

Possible

Unavailable

Weather Chart

Temperature and rainfall chart for Labro

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Spoleto

Arrive in Spoleto, settle in to your accommodation and explore the old town. Extra night recommended.

Day 2 - Spoleto to Ferentillo

After a short lift (to the top of the hill!), a leg-loosening first day along pretty paths and easy tracks across the hills to the pretty Val Nerina at Ferentillo, where you stay in a beautifully sited agriturismo with pool. (Medium: 5 hrs, 15 km, CUSs 350m)

Day 3 - Ferentillo to Labro

After a visit (we suggest) to the extraordinary Mummy Museum, a lovely and easy walk down the Val Nerina as far as Arrone (lunch?) before striding off into the vine-clad hills which precede the lake at Piediluco. Here you can summon a lift up to hilltop Labro, or purists can try the fin-du-jour slog to the top… where you stay in the heart of the village in one of two beautiful conversions. (Medium: 5 hrs, 15km, CUSs 600m, or easy-medium 3¾ hrs, 10km, CUSs 400m with lift from Piediluco)

Day 4 - Labro to Greccio

Down to the plain, and cross to the Sabine Hills to join Route Advisor Stefano’s self-made-and-waymarked path through the woods to the Santuario di Greccio. Visit the church and St Francis’s cell before a final push to your comfortable hotel in Greccio village proper. (Medium-hard: 17km, 4¾ hrs, CUSs 750m, or medium: 3¾ hrs, 13½ km, CUSs 550m with lift on final stretch from Santuario to Greccio)

Day 5 - Greccio to Casperia

A long-ish day with a sting at the start. Climb to the top of the Sabine Hills (views of the Apennines) to a remote shrine, then down through woods and bucolic pastures to the dramatic hilltop village of Cottanello. Stop here for a snack, and continue with a walk down one of the oldest roads from the town to its ancient bridge; then a pleasant country road walk through attractive woodland. Visit pretty Montasola and end at Casperia, the best of the hilltop towns, and a stylish Palazzetta. (Hard: 6½ hrs, 21km, CUSs 750m, or medium: 4 hrs, 11km, CUSs 600m with taxi at end)

Option

Your host Maureen suggests: “An extra day here could involve short local walks around the old mule paths, to the next village for lunch, or just along the valley below. We have cooking lessons for min 2 people - three hours hands on followed by Italian 4 course meal with wines.

Day 6 - Casperia to Misciani

Walk (or hitch a lift with the luggage) from Casperia to the fine fortified village of Roccantica, which is definitely worth an explore and a coffee stop, before you start walking – a gentle climb up the Valle de Galantina to a waterfall; then through high pastures down the valley leading to Mauro and Ornella’s quiet agriturismo (Medium: 4 ½ hrs walking, 11 km, CUSs 510m, plus start as above for purists)

Option

Spend an extra night in this beautiful place, and experience some real old Umbria - a half day experience of goat's milk collection and cheese making, pasta making or foraging (enquire for prices) - lead by Mauro.

Day 7 - Misciani to Mompeo

This magical day takes through the open woodland below Misciani to the almost-perfect village of Montenero, where time has stood still for a century or more, except for the Bar Neno, where you can stop for a bite to eat and drink. Afterwards, continue down the river valley along quiet tracks before climbing steeply up to the ridge top, from where you will spy the twin hilltop villages of Salisano and Mompeo, next to which lies your goal, route advisor Stefano and Elisabeth’s beautifully positioned organic farm. (Medium: 4½ hrs, 15km, CUSs 640m)

Departure day

Depart for home – or why not a night or two in Rome at our favourite B&B?

Travel Information

ARRIVING BY AIR

The best airport is Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo Da Vinci) (including intercontinental flights), though Rome Ciampino and Ancona are also useful. The transfer on from Perugia airport is only really feasible by taxi.

Land by: 15:00 for public transport connections to Spoleto or Casperia.Return flight earliest: No time limit if staying final night in Rome. If not, 11:00 for train connections from Mompeo or Casperia (see transfer information below)
Earliest return time not applicable if using pre-booked taxi.

Flight information can change rapidly and not all flights run daily. Please do check directly with the airlines’ websites or Skyscanner (see below) before finalising any booking with us. Do not book your flights until we have confirmed that we have provisionally reserved accommodation for you.

For up-to-date schedules and flights from all airports check Skyscanner.

See “getting to the start of the walk” below for transfer information.

Typical rail journey from UK : There is a variety of options, taking around 20 hours from London to Spoleto, with or without sleeper connections, and all involving a transfer across Paris.
See www.seat61.com/Italy.htm for inspiration, and www.bahn.de for full timetables.

Rome: As above but quicker, making full use of a day in Rome to catch the sleeper to Paris. ~17.5 hrs

Getting to the start of the walk

The first hotel is in Spoleto and the last in Mompeo. Transfer times and methods are suggested for Rome Fiumicino airport below. For train arrival transfers see below.

Outward: from Fiumicino train/train/local bus or taxi 3 hrs. Taxi whole way possible but very expensive.Return: Direct train from Fara in Sabina or Poggio Mirteto to Fiumicino airport 1.5 hrs, or shuttle/local taxi from Rome B&B to airport

For prebookable taxi prices see “Prices”

Transfers from/to train stations:Outward: Local bus to town centre or Prebookable taxi (10 mins)Return: Lift from Mompeo (or Casperia) to railway station included. If staying in Rome, from Rome Termini, bus or local taxi to B&B, and same on return to station.

Full transfer advice, including timetables, is provided in your Walkers’ Pack. Contact us if you would like additional pre-booking information.

Where You'll Stay

A great variety of accommodation, from palaces to traditional hotels to committed agriturismos. All comfortable, some memorable.

Mompeo – Le Mole sul Farfa (dinner, B&B)

Staying in Rome

We think we have one of the best and most reasonably priced places to stay in Rome – Roberta’s B&B Orologio. In a narrow street between the Piazza Navona and the Vatican, Roberta has been our Rome host for the last ten years and has never let us down. With her stylish charm and attention to detail she ensures that if you return to Rome you will stay there again. And has opened another B&B nearby just in case she is full!

Prices

Price: £930 for 7 nights ( )

Total 7 nights in double/twin room, all breakfasts, 4 evening meals, 1 picnic, lift from Spoleto to the start of first walk, from Casperia to Roccantica to start the Misciani walk (if required), and from Mompeo to Fara Sabina station (Day 8), luggage transfers between all hotels on walking route; full Walkers Pack with route directions, maps, transfer and background information; local telephone support.

All prices are per person unless otherwise indicated, and are based on a standard booking in May. Prices may vary seasonally and a fixed price will be given to you before you commit.

Single Room Supplement (SRS): From £175Lone Traveller Additional Supplement (LTAS) From £250Larger party saving (LPS): Groups of more than 2 people (on an identical itinerary, on the same booking and booked at the same time) – discount of at least £50 per personMaximum party size: 8 (more with some triple rooms)

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